[blindkid] Braille Law and Brochure
Carrie Gilmer
carrie.gilmer at gmail.com
Tue Jan 27 18:04:00 UTC 2009
Braille and Visually
Impaired Students
What does the law require?
Passing a law is one thing. Getting it
enforced and, more to the point, accepted,
is quite another. Laws tend to be a reflection
of public opinion, not a creator of it. They
give a final nudge to new reality. With
respect to Braille, there can be no doubt that
the climate of public opinion has changed
dramatically during the past decade. Once
again, Braille is becoming the centerpiece in
the education of blind people, just as print is
for sighted people.
-Kenneth Jernigan,
Braille Into the Next Millennium
National Organization of
Parents of Blind Children
Q: You mean that there is a specific provision in the
law about Braille instruction for visually impaired
students?
A: Yes, that's right. The "Braille provision" as it is
sometimes called, was added when the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
was reauthorized in 1997 and was continued in
the 2004 reauthorization.
Q: What does it say?
A: Here is the pertinent section from the IDEA
reauthorization of 2004:
Section 614 (d)(3)(B)(iii)
(B) Consideration of Special Factors.-
The IEP Team shall-
(iii) in the case of a child who is blind or
visually impaired, provide for instruction in
Braille and the use of Braille unless the IEP
Team determines, after an evaluation of
the child's reading and writing skills, needs,
and appropriate reading and writing media
(including an evaluation of the child's future
needs for instruction in Braille or the use of
Braille), that instruction in Braille or the use
of Braille is not appropriate for the child;
Q: Is it significant that this provision uses the word
"provide" rather than "consider the need for" Braille
instruction?
A: Good observation. Yes, it is significant. It
means that the IEP team is obligated to assume-
even before an evaluation is conducted-that
Braille instruction will be a necessary service for
the blind or visually impaired child. This is an
important shift from past educational practices
when it was routinely assumed that children with
some usable vision would read print and only be
provided with Braille instruction as the last resort.
Q: Does this provision apply to every blind or
visually impaired child with an IEP?
A: Yes.
Q: Does this mean that visually impaired children
who might have sufficient vision to read enlarged
print or regular print with magnification shall
also be provided with Braille instruction and the
opportunity to use Braille?
A: That's right. Unless, of course (as the
provision states), an evaluation that takes into
consideration the child's future need for Braille
literacy demonstrates that Braille is not
appropriate.
Q: So, this evaluation must be pretty important.
What is it called?
A: It is extremely important. Many people in the
blindness profession have come to refer to it as
a learning media assessment. In all instances
where Braille instruction is not provided for children
covered under this provision, documentation
of a learning media assessment (the evaluation)
is required. Furthermore, is it critical that a
qualified person conduct the assessment. The
National Agenda for the Education of Children and
Youths with Visual Impairments, including those
with Multiple Disabilities, recommends that "All
assessments and evaluations of students will
be conducted by and/or in partnership with
personnel having expertise in the education of
students with visual impairments and their
parents." Huebner, Merk-Adam, Stryker, and Wolfe.
2004.
Q: What must the evaluation include?
A: There are many elements in a learning media
assessment. The Braille provision specifically
requires that the following be addressed: skills in
reading and writing, reading and writing needs,
and future need for Braille or Braille instruction.
The assessment of future needs is important
because a number of congenital eye diseases or
disorders are degenerative. As we know, the
educational system is charged with the
responsibility of preparing students for a lifetime
of literacy. This provision protects the right
of children with visual impairments to be
provided with skills in a literacy mode that will
also last a life-time, whatever the prognosis
might be for their vision.
Q: Are there any learning media assessment tools
that an LEA can purchase and use for this
evaluation?
A: Yes. The Texas School for the Blind, the
American Printing House for the Blind (APH),
and others have developed learning media
assessment tools. Some state departments of
education, such as Maryland, have also
developed specific guidelines that may be used
by IEP teams. Information about resources is
included at the end of this brochure.
Q: Some children with blindness or visual
impairment also have additional disabilities-
such as autism, learning disabilities,
developmental delays, cerebral palsy, and so forth.
Do learning media assessments need to be
conducted for these children? Might these children
require Braille instruction?
A: Yes, and yes-to both questions. Literacy is
the pathway to maximum independence and life
satisfaction for every child that has the capacity
to learn, including those at the functional
reading level. It may take such children longer
to learn to read, and/or require additional
supports or individualized strategies, but this
only highlights the importance of good
assessments.
Q: Once the IEP team has conducted a learning
media assessment and made a determination
about the appropriateness of print and Braille
instruction, does the team need to review or
reconsider that decision during the annual
IEP review?
A: That depends. If the child is receiving regular
and adequate Braille instruction, probably not.
However, if the child is not receiving Braille
instruction, then it would be appropriate and in
keeping with the intent of the Braille provision
for the IEP team to discuss and/or reassess the
decision annually.
Q: This sounds like a sensible and educationally
sound process. Now what about those resources?
RESOURCES
The National Agenda for the Education of
Children and Youths with Visual Impairments,
Including Those with Multiple Disabilities
www.tsbvi.edu/agenda/
LEARNING MEDIA ASSESSMENTS
www.lighthouse.org (search term: assessment
compendium)
BRAILLE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
www.aph.org/products
American Foundation for the Blind
www.afb.org/store
Braille Too (Grant Wood AEA, Iowa)
www.aea10.k12.ia.us/divlearn/brailletoo.html
Exceptional Teaching Aids, Inc.
(Mangold Exclusives)
www.store.exceptionalteaching.net/maex.html
Texas School for the Blind Publications
www.tsbvi.edu (go to Curriculum Publications)
INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS
ABOUT BRAILLE
The World Under My Fingers:
Personal Reflections on Braille, Second Edition
National Federation of the Blind
www.nfb.org
The Bridge to Braille: Reading and School
Success for the Young Blind Child
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
www.nfb.org/nopbc.htm
Braille Into the Next Millennium
ISBN 0-8444-021-7
National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped
www.loc.gov/nls
Developed and published by
The National Agenda for the Education of
Children and Youths with Visual Impairments,
Including Those with Multiple Disabilities
www.tsbvi.edu/agenda/
in partnership with
a division of the
National Federation of the Blind
www.nfb.org/nopbc.htm
Carrie Gilmer, President
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
A Division of the National Federation of the Blind
NFB National Center: 410-659-9314
Home Phone: 763-784-8590
carrie.gilmer at gmail.com
www.nfb.org/nopbc
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